WNBA Player News

With Dream starting point Jordin Canada sidelined for at least two weeks, Howard was often the player with the ball in her hands to initiate the Atlanta offense, splitting those facilitating duties throughout the game with fellow wing Allisha Gray. As a result, Howard struggled to find her most comfortable spots off the ball, and then when she did, the open looks didn’t fall. She didn’t get a point on the board until the second quarter when Caitlin Clark fouled her, making both free throws. Her first field goal, a 24-foot three, came with just under six minutes remaining in the second and got the Dream within 3 points. Due to Canada’s injury, Howard and Gray will likely assume more prominent roles as facilitators once the season begins.

Whitcomb is available after sitting out Wednesday’s win over the Sun with elbow and knee injuries. The Mercury are without Kahleah Copper (knee) for Thursday night, so Whitcomb returns to the starting lineup. There will also be additional minutes available to Kitija Laksa off the bench. Joining Whitcomb in the lineup are Monique Akoa Makani, Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kathryn Westbeld.

Unsurprisingly, the Mercury continue to take a measured approach in working Copper back into the lineup. Having played in Wednesday’s win over the Sun, she will not play in Phoenix’s second game in as many nights. With Sami Whitcomb (elbow) considered probable after not playing the night prior, she’s likely to be Copper’s replacement in the starting lineup.

Nelson-Ododa was responsible for the first Sun score of the evening after going down 10-0. With 6:28 left in the first quarter, rookie Saniya Rivers drove along the baseline and dumped the ball off to Tina Charles, who then made another quick pass to the more wide open Nelson-Ododa. In the fourth quarter, she hit a turnaround fadeaway jumper that got the Sun within seven points with under five minutes to go. While the fourth-year center made plays at key moments that got the Sun back into the game, including her six rebounds in the fourth quarter, it still wasn’t enough.

Sheldon and her Sun teammates have had quite the 24 hours since the Sun were in Indiana on Tuesday night for their game against the Fever that resulted in multiple flagrant fouls and fines including for Sheldon’s teammate Marina Mabrey. Speaking of Mabrey, the Sun combo guard was responsible for finding Sheldon three times for seven of her 13 total points. Mabrey found Sheldon in transition rim running a couple of times and on the right wing for a step back three. Sheldon scored the majority of her points in the second quarter and was responsible for cutting the Mercury’s lead of the Sun to five points after going on her own 5-0 run.

The Sun rookie Morrow has struggled to earn meaningful minutes on the floor until Wednesday night when the Sun faced the Mercury and their former franchise face Alyssa Thomas for the first time this season. When Sun head coach Rachid Meziane put Morrow into the game for the first time with 2:23 minutes left in the first quarter, she made an immediate impact picking up a rebound and two steals in her first few minutes of play. Morrow didn’t score the basketball until the third quarter when she scored 12 of her 16 total points. She hit a couple of mid-range jumpers and then put the ball on the floor, showing off her face-up game. Her 16 points were the most for a Sun player coming off the bench this season.

Copper struggled to put the ball in the basket for much of her second game back in the Mercury’s lineup. She began 0-of-7 from the field until two late three-pointers put her into double figures and led her to finish as the Mercury’s third leading scorer. The former Finals MVP only played 22 minutes and figures to ramp up slowly in her return from knee surgery. Nevertheless, she came out of the win healthy for a consecutive game, which is good news for the Mercury and fantasy managers alike.

Thomas played her first game as a visiting player at Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday as the Mercury earned their ninth win of the season. Thomas, one of the more decorated players in the Sun’s history, put on the type of show that the home crowd had grown accustomed to seeing for the better part of the past 11 seasons. She controlled the game as a facilitator, crashed the glass, and made an impact on the defensive end, ultimately falling just shy of a triple-double but having done enough to extend her double-double streak to four games. Thomas provided a ton of fantasy production in the win and continues to play at a high level in Year 12.

Held added to her list of impressive rookie-year performances on Wednesday by finishing as one of Phoenix’s top scorers in the victory. With veteran guard Sami Whitcomb (knee) unavailable, Held logged 20 minutes and made the most of her opportunities, connecting on both of her three-point attempts while shooting an efficient 83.3 percent from the field. Given Alyssa Thomas’ ability to attack downhill and find open shooters on the perimeter, Held continues to be an ideal fit for this Phoenix offense and figures to have a spot in the rotation so long as she keeps making her threes. After Wednesday’s outing, she’s now logged five double-digit scoring performances in June.

Sabally had a relatively quiet game from a scoring standpoint, making just three shots and tying a season-low in points in Wednesday’s win. Yet, her effort elsewhere was loud, particularly on the glass. The veteran forward pulled down a season-high in rebounds, which included seven in the opening quarter to help set the tone. In establishing herself on the glass, Sabally also netted her second double-double of the season. Her scoring will almost certainly pick back up in the coming games, which will make for huge nights in fantasy basketball should she continue to rebound at a high level.

Whitcomb had started the first 11 games of the season for the Mercury before Kahleah Copper’s season debut on Sunday moved her to the reserve unit. In that game, Whitcomb shined, scoring a season-high 18 points and cashing in on four three-point attempts in the process. The veteran guard is enjoying a nice start to her ninth WNBA campaign, but will be in street clothes Wednesday. Rookies Kitija Laksa and Lexi Held could be in line for more minutes in Whitcomb’s absence.